Auke Lake is a lake in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska. It sits roughly 15.6 km (9.7 mi) NW of Juneau.
Auke Lake (Áak'w or Yax̱te in Tlingit, literally 'lake lake') is a 160-acre (0.65 km2) lake located in Auke Bay in Juneau, Alaska. Auke Lake (surface area ≈ 0.67 km²; max depth ≈ 35 m) is fed primarily by two named inlet streams—Lake Creek, which drains a 648 ha watershed and deposits clear, gravel‑bed flow along the north shore alluvial fan, and Little Lake Creek (sometimes called Lake Two Creek), which enters on the west side—along with several smaller wetland tributaries. The lake sits at an elevation of roughly 19 m and drains through a single outlet, Auke Creek, which drops approximately 19 m over its 0.5 km course before entering saltwater at Auke Bay. A permanent weir installed about 400 m downstream of the lake monitors the timing and magnitude of fish migrations, while a network of gauge stations and thermographs records water levels and temperature year‑round. Ice‑out...From the Wikipedia article “Auke Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Auke Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:52 AM | 39° NE | 10:10 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 88° E | 7:00 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:47 AM | 138° SE | 3:08 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 21m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:57 AM | 2:20 PM | 3:42 PM | 4:31 PM | 7h 07m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 24m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:09 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:03 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 3:35 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:35 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:19 PM | 10:16 PM | 16h 47m |
| June | 2:34 AM | 3:52 AM | 5:04 AM | 8:55 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:26 PM | 18h 15m |
| July | 3:10 AM | 4:17 AM | 5:24 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:53 PM | 11:00 PM | 17h 36m |
| August | 4:34 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 25m |
| September | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 20m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:48 AM | 9:00 AM | 2:28 PM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 7h 52m |
| December | 7:50 AM | 8:42 AM | 10:20 AM | 1:29 PM | 3:07 PM | 3:59 PM | 6h 24m |
Local time (America/Juneau), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 41 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this lake
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Auke Lake, closest first.
Lake
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
WaterfallScenic Viewpoint
LighthouseLighthouseLighthouse
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin4.0 km (2.5 mi) · reservable
- John Muir Cabin4.5 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Auk Village Campground4.8 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Mendenhall Campground5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Lake Cabin8.2 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Auke Lake?
What time is golden hour at Auke Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Auke Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Auke Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Auke Lake?
How far is Auke Lake from Juneau?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.